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Snowy owl.
A snowy owl was spotted on Mount Moosilaukee this past week, likely migrating northward.

It was seen on this White Mountain peak on Wednesday, March 25.

This winter, there have been sporadic sightings of the majestic arctic owl in places like the Seacoast and near airports in the southeastern part of the state.

But their numbers were far from those seen in 2014.

According to Cornell University, "last year's blizzard of snowy owls in the Great Lakes states, the Northeast, and down the Atlantic coast was epic, an unprecedented irruption."

According to Marshall Iliff, a project leader on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's eBird team, this year's winter snowy owl flight into the Lower 48 has been impressive but not at the scale of last year's irruption.

For comparison, last winter a five-state block in the Northeast had more than 8,000 reports of snowy owls from November to January.

This winter, that same block has had 1,200 snowy reports so far.

Still, Iliff says, it's an above-average winter for snowies.